National Post editorial board: Goodnight, and good luck Lloyd Robertson

It’s hard to imagine Canadian television journalism without Lloyd Robertson, the long-time CTV News anchor who presented the 11 o’clock news for the last time on Thursday. He was not only a fixture in Canadian family rooms for nearly four decades, but also the role model for two generations of news presenters who followed. His professional yet calming and engaging demeanour has rightly become the standard against which other anchors are gauged.

No one is likely to fully measure up to “Count Lloyd,” as television insiders lovingly call him. But Mr. Robertson’s contribution to journalism goes well beyond the handsome, Everyman persona that made him such a trusted source on the day’s events. He felt he couldn’t give a report the seriousness it deserved unless he understood the context in which events occurred, and broke ground in the 1970s as one of the first anchors to insist on being fully involved in the gathering and organizing of stories.

Mr. Robertson has now handed the reins to Lisa LaFlamme, a more than able replacement who will also break ground as the first female chief anchor of a major network’s flagship newscast. Still, Canadian TV news will never be quite the same.

In the wake of a Grammy Awards ceremony that disappointed many, from Kanye West to the masses on Twitter lamenting the state of pop music, a historical perspective is key. Few are better poised to offer one than Andy Kim.